Norton Sound Red King Crab

The final Norton Sound red king crab assessment was reviewed by the SSC, AP and Council in order to set catch specifications for the 2017 fishery. This stock has a separate specifications timing in order to accommodate the CDQ fishery which can open in early May. The stock is healthy, with an estimated mature male biomass for this stock above it’s target level (BMSY proxy = 4.62 million lb) with an OFL calculated by the Tier4a control rule. The SSC recommended an OFL of 0.71 million lb and an ABC of 0.54 million lb which used a 20% buffer from the OFL. The stock is not overfished nor is overfishing occurring on this stock. Staff contact is Diana Stram.